The present invention relates to an image processing method and apparatus and, more particularly, to an image processing method and apparatus capable of displaying an image seen from an arbitrary photo-taking viewpoint based on an input image from image sensing means, such as cameras.
There are stereoscopic display systems and lenticular display systems, and so on, known as conventional apparatuses for displaying images, seen from a plurality of viewpoints, to be seen stereoscopically. The former displays an image to be seen stereoscopically by alternatively displaying images from two cameras on a screen at high speed. When a viewer sees the images through shutter glasses which operates in synchronization with the alternating speed, or polarizing glasses, the images are observed as stereoscopic image.
The latter rearranges images from four cameras, for example, by pixel unit. Then, by placing a lenticular sheet in front of a display, the images seen from four viewpoints can be displayed so as to be seen stereoscopically.
However, the conventional stereoscopic display system has a problem in that a viewer can see a stereoscopic image only from fixed viewpoints where cameras are set. More specifically, when two cameras are set at fixed positions and pick up object images for stereoscopic display, even after the viewer moved his/her viewpoint, the viewer sees the same stereoscopic image.
In contrast, by using the lenticular display system, the viewer can observe different images after changing his/her viewpoint to the right and left direction. However, in this case, the viewer can see images from each camera discontinuously, and can not see continuous images corresponding to changing of the viewpoints. In addition, it is not possible for the viewer to see continuous images when his/her viewpoints are changed in the back and forth direction.
It is possible to display continuous images corresponding to changing of the viewpoints in the vertical direction when an image produced by computer graphics is displayed stereoscopically, however, not possible when an image, such as an object image, picked up by a plurality of cameras at fixed positions is displayed stereoscopically.